Klamath Basin Winter Wings Festival Opens On February 13th [VIDEO]
/America’s Oldest West Coast Birding Festival celebrates the return of Bald Eagles and waterfowl on the Pacific Flyway to the Klamath Basin from February 13-16, 2020. It’s the 41st anniversary of the Festival!
KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – Bald Eagles are among the migratory birds highlighted during the 41st Winter Wings Festival ( www.WinterWingsFest.org ), which will run over four days, February 13-16, 2020, during the Presidents’ Day Weekend. The primary venue for the event will be the College Union at the Oregon Institute of Technology in Klamath Falls.
Winter birds at their finest! Winter Wings brings together birders and photographers of all stripes to learn and explore with top notch professionals and experienced local guides. The Klamath Basin is renowned for its massive wintering population of Bald Eagles, but is prime habitat for many other raptors, as well as a stunning abundance and diversity of waterfowl.
In 2020 the festival will feature three dynamic keynoters: nature cartoonist and writer Rosemary Mosco, wildlife photographer and cinematographer Gerrit Vyn, and author Nathan Pieplow. Join these charismatic speakers and many other skilled presenters for an array of field trips, workshops, presentations, and receptions that highlight the wonders of the Klamath Basin in winter.
Birders can enjoy a diverse group of activities including field trips to the Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge Complex ( https://www.fws.gov/refuge/Tule_Lake/ ) and other sites within and around Klamath Falls. Novice birders may benefit from one of our Birding Basics trips, a Raptors 101 workshop and field trip, or a new opportunity to hone owl identification skills through a workshop and owl prowl. Intense birders may enjoy one of the Big Day treks around the basin to build their life lists. Those looking for a unique experience can get up close in one of our new kestrel trapping and banding workshops. You can also round out your experience with presentations such as learning about the secret (and often scandalous!) lives of ducks, or the global plight of threatened and endangered birds.
A host of professional photographers and specialists will be on hand over the weekend to share their skills and inspiration, including Gerrit Vyn, Max Waugh, Tim Boyer, and Bill Gogo. If raptor photography is your thing, don’t miss one of our unique photo activities with West Coast Falconry or the special workshops and excursions focusing on these intense predators. From storytelling through your photos, to capturing birds on the wing, to photographing from blinds, there is something for every photography skill level and interest.
Diana Samuels, festival co-coordinator, says “Some popular field trips fill almost immediately. If you want a spot in these, try to sign-up as soon as online registration opens.”
Registration opened December 7, 2019 at 9:00 am PST. Online registration can be completed at www.WinterWingsFest.org . The Winter Wings Festival is funded in part by a grant from Klamath County.
For the complete schedule, program descriptions, and fees, visit the Festival website at www.WinterWingsFest.org and select the program tab. For more information email the Festival at info@WinterWingsFest.org or call 1.877.541.BIRD (2473).
FREE Saturday Family Events
West Coast Falconry will headline the free Family Presentation on Saturday in the College Union Auditorium at 10 am with a live raptor show. Don’t miss the free hands-on children’s activities in the Crater Lake Complex upstairs in the OIT College Union on Saturday after the show. West Coast Falconry will be there with their birds as well, so bring your cameras!.
This year we will have a free kids’ cartooning workshop at OIT on Saturday at 1 pm! Join our keynoter, Rosemary Mosco, to learn how to write and draw your own hilarious and factual wildlife-themed comics (registration is required).
Press release provided by the Winter Wings Festival.